Moving target apparatus



Dec. 13, 1955 A. L. AUGER 2,726,870

MOVING TARGET APPARATUS Filed Jan. 21, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet l Dec. 13,1955 Filed Jan. 21, 1953 A. L. AUGER MOVING TARGET APPARATUS 2Sheets-Sheet 2 United States PatentO 2,726,870 MOVING TARGET APPARATUSAlbert L. Anger, Rochester, N. H. Application January 21, 1953, SerialNo. 332,215 4 Claims. (Cl. 273-105.2)

This invention relates to moving target apparatus and more particularlyto such apparatus wherein a target is mounted on a carriage adapted totravel across the general line of fire in a target-practice pit, or thelike, with the target, which may be in the form of an animal, simulatingthe running or leaping motion of the animal as it is carried from one toanother limit of travel of the carriage.

It is among the objects of the invention to provide a moving targetwhich can more nearly simulate the running or leaping motion of ananimal than has been possible with the prior moving targets of which Iam aware. According to the invention, a target in the form of aparticular animal is carried at a relatively fast rate across a shootingpit, or the like, and simultaneously is actuated to simulate a runningor leaping motion of the particular animal.

Another object of the invention is to provide a moving target apparatuswherein the target is mounted on a power-driven carriage and is actuatedon the carriage by the carriage-driving means to simulate the motion ofa running or leaping animal as the carriage travels between two limitsacross a shooting pit, or the like.

A further object of the invention is to provide a moving targetapparatus wherein the target is mounted on a power-driven carriage andis actuated on the carriage by the carriage-driving means to simulatethe motion of a running or leaping animal, with means for selectivelyadjusting the target to vary the motion of the actuated target as thecarriage moves across a shooting pit or the like from one limit toanother of carriage travel.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a moving targetapparatus wherein a moving target has a main body insert portion ofinexpensive material which is readily removable to permit substitutionof a new insert whenever desired.

It is, moreover, my purpose and object generally to improve thestructure, operation and ctficiency of moving targets and moreespecially such a target which is actuated on a travelling carriage tosimulate the motion of a particular game animal.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of moving target apparatus embodying featuresof the invention;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. l, on a larger scale, but omitting thetarget;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the apparatus of Fig. 2, in cross-sectionon line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary top plan view of the upper platform or shelf,showing the lever-locking mechanism in locking relation to the controllever;

Fig. 5 is an elevational view in cross-section on line 55 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is an elevational view in cross-section on line 6-6 of Fig. 3;and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view on line 7-7 of Fig. l, on alarger scale than Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, a target-carrying carriage is indicatedgenerally at 10 and has a generally horizontal platform 12 on the underside of which two front wheels 14 and two rear wheels 16 are mounted forengaging the tracks 18 which may extend a suitable distance transverselyof the general line of fire in a target practice pit, or the like.

Any suitable means may be provided for driving the carriage 1% in one orin both directions along the tracks 18. As herein represented, aconventional gas engine 20 drives the carriage along the tracks 18, itbeing mounted on platform 12 and having a pulley 22 fixed onits shaft21. A relatively long belt 24 engages around engine pulley 22 and aroundthe larger diameter pulley 26 fixed on a shaft 28 which is mountedtransversely of the carriage in suitable bearings 30. Another pulley 32,having substantially smaller diameter, is fixed on shaft 28 with a belt34 engaging around it and around a pulley 36 which is fixed on arelatively short shaft 38 which is mounted in a bearing 40 on theupstanding support 42. A smaller diameter pulley 44 also is fixed onshaft 38 with a belt 46 engaging therewith and with a larger diameterpulley 48 fixed on the rear axle to which the rear wheels 16 aresecured.

Belt 24 extends loosely around pulleys 22 and 26 but is adapted to betightened by actuation of an idler pulley 59 which is carried on theshorter arm 52 of a bellcrank lever 52 whose longer arm 52 is adapted tobe manually actuated to bring idler pulley 50 into tighteningengagementwith belt 24. Lever 52 is pivotally mounted at 54 on a bracket 56 whichdepends from an upper platform or shelf 58 spaced substantially aboveplatform 12 by the brackets or legs 69. A spring 62 constantly biaseslever 52 in counter-clockwise direction about its pivot 54 in Figs. 1and 3 thereby to maintain idler pulley 50 out of engagement with belt 24excepting when it is locked in engagement with the belt by means laterto be described herein.

When idler pulley 59 is out of engagement with belt 24, the loose belttends to slip on pulley 26 without driving the latter pulley. Theinvention, however, ensures that pulley 26 will remain at rest wheneveridler pulley 50 is out of engagement with belt 24, it being assumed thatengine 20 is operating continuously. Pulley 26 has a relatively wide andsmooth annular surface 27 (Fig. 3) for coaction with a brake shoe 64which is constantly iased by spring 66 into braking engagement with thesurface 27. The brake shoe 64 is at one end of a shaft 68 which isslidably and non-rotatably mounted in a bearing 79. Spring 66 is coiledaround shaft 68 and is under compression between the brake shoe andbearing 7! The other end of shaft 68 has substantial projection beyondbearing 70 and has a collar 72 fixed thereon in spaced relation tobearing 7%) when brake shoe 64 is engaged with pulley surface 27. Abrake-actuating yoke 7 is fixed on the shorter arm 52 of bell-cranklever 52 and straddles shaft 68 between bearing 70 and collar 72. Hence,when bell-crank lever 52 is actuated clockwise in Fig. 2, to bring idlerpulley 50 into tightening engagement with belt 24, the yoke 74 actsagainst collar 72 to disengage brake shoe 64, whereby pulley 26 will berotated and the carriage will be driven along the tracks 18. When idlerpulley 50 is lifted out of engagement with belt 24, brake shoe 64becomes engaged to positively stop the carriage. As represented in Fig.2, yoke 74 stops against bearing 70 to limit the counter-clockwisemovement of lever 52 as viewed in Fig. 2. The platform is slotted at 13to accommodate the belt 24 and pulley 26.

Referring to the top plan view of Fig. 4, the upper platform or shelf 58is slotted longitudinally at 76 and the longer arm 52* of bell-cranklever 52 extends upward through this slot for coaction with a lockingmember 78 which is pivotally mounted at 89 on the upper 3 side ofplatform or shelf 58. Locking member 78 is in the nature of a latch andis constantly biased clockwise, in Fig. 4, about its pivot 80 by-thecompression spring, 82. One end portion of latch member .78 is formedwith a shoulder 78 for engaging back of lever arm 52 when it is movedfrom its full line position of Fig. 2 to its dotted line locked positionof Fig. 2. When the lever arm 52 passes the shoulder 78 in moving to itslocked position, the latch member snaps into locking engagement therewith to hold it in its dotted line position of Fig. 2, with idler roll50 in tightening engagement with belt 24. A

' stop 84 is provided to limit clockwise movement of latch member 78, asviewed in Fig. 4. Release of latch member 78 may be accomplishedby meansof an actuator 86 fixed to the latch member 73 and projecting to eachside of the carriage 10 where it may be actuated by a person beside themoving carriage, or the actuator arm 86 may project to locations forbeing engaged and actuated by fixed abutments as the carriage reaches apredetermined stop position along tracks 18.

I Engine 29 may be provided with a clutch lever 88 by means of which thepulley 22 may be connected for rotation in either direction so that thecarriage .10 may be driven in either direction along tracks 18, and theactuator 86 may be actuated by an abutment at one side of the carriagewhen the carriage is travelling in one direction, and by an abutment atthe other side of the carriage when the carriage is travelling in theopposite direction. According to the invention, a target 90 is mountedon carriage 10 and simulates a running or leaping action as the carriagemoves along tracks 18. The target 90, as herein represented, is in theform of a deer fixed at the upper end of a post 92 which may beremovably secured at its lower end in a yoke element 94 on the upper endof a target-actuating shaft 96. Target 90 preferably is formed of sheetmaterial, such as wood, relatively stiff cardboard, or any comparablesuitably rigid material, and may be shaped to simulate any animal or anydesired object. As herein represented, the main body of the deer is inthe form of an insert 98 which is readily removable and held removablyin place by any suitable means, such as the pivoted button elements 160.The insert 98 is divided into any suitable number of score areas, eachhaving a different scoring value. Five areas are shown, having scoringvalues of 10, 15, 20, and 30 points respectively. Inexpensive cardboardinserts 98 may be employed so that an insert may be used by only oneperson in a single competition and be then thrown away. Each personentering into any particular competition may have his or her own insert98 and at the end of the competition the inserts may be compared todetermine the winget 90 wherein the insert 98 is a paper board sheetseated junction with the traveliof carriage 10 simulates the running orleaping motion of the target animal. Adjustment of bushing 116 on arm112Will change the arc of swing- I ing actuation of the target which maybe varied to pro- I duce the effect of a. relatively smoothly runninganimal or a leaping animal, with permitted variations in degree betweenthe two extreme conditions. t will be obvious that arm 112 may beconsiderably lengthened, if desired, to increase the permissible leapingeffect, by suitably slotting the platform 12 to accommodate the longerarm and its attachments. e I

Fig. 7 illustrates one satisfactory construction of taragainst ashoulder 91 extending all around the inner edge track between ,twosubstantially spaced locations, a tar- V connected to said target suPPrt below its pivot and margin of a frame portion of the target, with anysuitable number of the button elements 1430 serving to removably retainthe insert in its frame. Both sides of the insert may be similarlymarked into scoring areas having indicated scoring values, sothat thetarget may be turned around in yoke 94 after the carriage 19 has movedin one direction'across a pit, or the like, and the head end of theanimal then will be leading when the carriage is propelled in theopposite direction across the pit. V

Variations in the without departing from the spirit of the invention asdefined by the appended claims, and it is intended that the patent shallcover, by suitable expression in the appended claims, whatever featuresof patentable novelty exist in the invention disclosed.

I claim as my invention:

1. A. moving target apparatus comprising, in combination, a track, acarriage adapted to travel along the get support pivotally mounted onthe carriage, a target mounted on said support and spaced a substantialdistance above the pivot of the support, and actuating means responsiveto movement of the carriage along said track for elfecting reciprocatingactuations of said target gen erally in the directions of extent of saidtrack throughout any periodof travel of the carriage along said track.

2. A moving target apparatus comprising, in combination, a track, acarriage adapted to travel along the track between two substantiallyspaced locations, a target support pivotally mounted on the carriage, atarget mounted on said support and spaced a substantial distance abovethe pivot of the support, power means on ning score. If desired, thedifferent score areas of an insert 93 may be differently colored orotherwise made visually distinct from each other.

As best seen in Fig. 5, the targetactuating shaft 96 extends slidablythrough a guide bushing 192 which is swivelled at 104 on the upper endportion of the upstanding support 42 which extends upward from platform12 towhich its lower end is secured as at 106. Pulleys 36 and 44 aresecured to shaft 38 at that end portion of the shaft which extends outof bearing 40 at one side of support 42 and the other end of the shaft38 has fixed thereon the T-shaped fitting 108 from which the arms 110,112 extend in opposite directions. Arm 110 has a weight 114 at its freeend, and arm 112 has a bushing 116 slidable thereon and adapted to besecured in selected positions'along arm 112 by means of the finger screw118. Bushing 116 has the trunnion 128 projecting therefrom, and thelower end of target-actuationg shaft 96 is pivotally connected totrunnion 120 as at 122. Hence, when pulley 36 is rotated, the lower endof target-actuating shaft 96 is carried around the axis of shaft 38 withthe actuating shaft sliding in swivelled bushing .102, as

best seen in Fig. 6, and the target 90 is actuated'so as to saidcarriage for driving the carriage along said track,

actuatingmeans connected to said target support below its pivot andresponsive to carriage-driving operation of said power means foreffecting reciprocating actuations of said target generally in thedirections of extent of said track whenever said carriage is drivenalong said track, and leverage means on said carriage'operable to stopthe travel of the carriage notwithstanding continued operation of saidpower means.

3. A moving target apparatus comprising, in combination, a track, acarriage adapted to travel along the track between two substantiallyspaced locations, a target support pivotally mounted on said carriage,power means on said carriage for driving the carriage in eitherdirection along said track, actuating means connected to said targetsupport below its pivot and responsive to carriage-driving operations ofsaid power means for ef-. fecting reciprocating actuations of thesupport about its said pivot, a target having a leading portion and alagging portion, means at said power means for reversing the directionof drive of said carriage by said power means, and means on said targetsupport for selectively securing said target to the supportsubstantially above the pivot of the support with said leading portionof the target positioned to lead the lagging portion when details ofconstruction may be made said target being actuated with its saidsupport generally in the directions of extent of said track.

4. A moving target apparatus comprising, in combination, a track, acarriage adapted to travel along the track between two substantiallyspaced locations, a target support pivotally mounted on said carriage, atarget mounted on said target support at a location substantially abovethe pivot of the support, power means on the carriage for driving thecarriage along said track, actuating means connected to said targetsupport below its pivot and responsive to movements of the carriagealong the track for efiecting reciprocating actuations of the targetgenerally in the directions of extent of said track, said power meansincluding a transmission belt engaging around two pulleys, a brakebiased toward engagement with one of said pulleys, said belt beingrelatively loose and adapted to slip on said one pulley when said brakeis engaged and holding said one pulley against rotation, means operableto simultaneously move said brake out of engagement with said one pulleyand to tighten said belt around said one pulley thereby to effect driveof said one pulley by said power means, latch means operable for holdingsaid brake out of engagement with said one pulley so long as said beltis in tightened condition, and trip means for releasing said latchthereby to effect braking of said one pulley and simultaneous looseningof said belt to stop the carriage while said power means continues tooperate.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS547,141 Crutchfield Oct. 1, 1895 667,505 Cox Feb. 5, 1901 1,061,577Whitney May 13, 1913 1,566,479 Horvath Dec. 22, 1925 1,647,616 GoodrichNov. 1, 1927 2,060,405 Widmeier Nov. 10, 1936 2,076,357 Tempest Apr. 6,1937 2,600,929 Shapiro June 17, 1952 2,637,554 Terreson May 5, 1953FOREIGN PATENTS 20,212 Great Britain 1910

